Pak Rashid Serdang, UPM

Bapak called him Pak Rashid

I called him Tok Rashid

INTRODUCTION

College of Agriculture, Serdang 1947

Source: Annual Report of the Malayan Union 1947

https://ia801007.us.archive.org/5/items/b31415647/b31415647.pdf

The College of Agriculture at Serdang, which was first opened in 1931, was formally declared of College status by His Excellency the Governor on 3rd May, 1947. It is under the direction of the Department of Agriculture with the assistance of an Advisory Council comprising both official and non-official members. The College provides two separate courses, a one-year course in which the medium of instruction is Malay for pupils who have passed Standard V in a Malay vernacular or English school, and a two/three year course for students who have passed the School Certificate. The Government provided 20 major and 20 minor agricultural scholarships in 1947. There were in 1947, 29 first year students and 33 students taking a one-year course.

Pak Rashid Serdang

Pak Rashid was well-known during his time. I met him a few times as a child - he had a keloid slash mark across his face. He was a Singaporean but made his fame in Serdang, dedicating his time and effort to agriculture. He developed Kolej Pertanian Serdang to become Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia's first agricultural university. UPM had a name change, and became Universiti Putra Malaysia. Nevertheless, it is still an agriculture-based university even though other disciplines have been established - aerospace and medicine. The Rashid Foundation was set up in UPM in his honour. In politics, Pak Rashid was with Dato' Onn Jaafar in Parti Negara. He tabled for Bahasa Malaysia to be used throughout Malaysian schools and legislature. Pak Rashid helped established RIDA which later became MARA. MARA's first academic venture was ITM, which later became UiTM Shah Alam, a tertiary educational centre with numerous sub-campuses that cater for mainly Malay students at the cheapest possible cost (~RM470/semester in late 1990s). Pak Rashid is best remembered for his pioneering spirit in Malay agricultural services and for his contributions to nation building, especially by improving the fates of Malay smallholders and their families through education and access to educational opportunities.

Mohd Rashid bin Ahmad @ Pak Rashid, Serdang
Full name: Mohd Rashid bin Ahmad
Call name: Bapak called him Pak Rashid (suami Bik Che Mah, adik Nenek Inchek). I called him Tok Rashid Serdang.


From Pak Cik Hassan (anak Pak Rashid), 11 June 2010:

Biodata
Date of birth: 9 August 1914 (from Who's Who Malaysia & Guide to Singapore 1973,  page 228, by J. V. Morais, published in KL) link
Birth place: Kampong Melayu, Singapore (on the west coast)
Year of death: 1986
Place of burial: Perkuburan Serdang, UPM
Age at death: 73 years

Parents
Father: Ahmad bin Hassan
Mother: Unknown (she died after giving birth)

Siblings (all Singaporeans)
1. Mohd Rashid (Pak Rashid/Tok Rashid) 1914-1986
2. Ismail
3. Said
4. Yusof - Haji Yusoff bin Ahmad married Hajah Arfah bt Hamzah (daughter of Dr Hamzah bin Md Taib (1900-1955) and Hajah Safiah bt Dato' Haji Abdullah - refer pages 458-459 of my book)
5. Salamah
6. Safiah
7. Maimunah
8. Salleh (KL)
9. Asiah
10. Daud
11. Kalthom

Education

1. He graduated from Raffles College in 1935, in the same class as Tan Sri Prof Ahmad Ibrahim, Kuliyyah of Laws, UIAM.
2. He was active in Shakespeare theatre. The theatre group was all white people and he was the first Malay in the theatre group.

Work

1. After graduation, he taught at an Arab school. Which Arab school?

WWII: Japanese Occupation

1. Pak Rashid was in the Pahang Volunteer Force.

Politics
From Bapak 2007:

1. Pak Rashid was anti UMNO and hated UMNO (ikut telunjuk). He called Tun Malik a coward. His party & logo had seikat padi. He died and was buried at UPM.
2. He was one of the early lecturers at UPM.
3. Pak Rashid and datok Mohd Yusope worked together in one department in Kuala Lumpur, before WWII.
4. After WWII, Pak Rashid and Pak Idris worked with an iron mining company in Terengganu, which shipped iron to Japan.

From Pak Cik Hassan, 11 June 2010:

1. Nationalist - Pak Rashid fought for UMNO but left, along with Dato Onn Jaafar.
2. Member of Legislative Council, 1952-1955 (Look at 1954 proceedings.)
3. Pekebun kecil. He said: "I have still not done one job - pekebun kecil", who contributed  to the nation's wealth. This is the daif group and RISDA was formed.
4. RISDA 
5. RIDA

RIDA

1. RIDA = Rural Industries Development Authority
2. Formed in early 1950s
3. During Coronation, a special gift was given to all its colonies, an allocation of $500 million
4. Pak Rashid was close to Dato' Onn Jaafar and requested for the Malays to form RIDA
5. In 1960, it was changed to MARA
6. It provided for cottage industries and training
7. Arshad Ayob set up UiTM/ITM

Oration: Strategy Bill - From Pak Cik Hassan, 11 June 2010:

1. He could speak Malay for 3 hours when he laid out (bentang) the Bill for Bahasa Malaysia to be accepted as the official language.
2. That time he was in Legislative Council. His portfolio was Natural Resources.
3. Nasir Aziz had opposed and asked that he delivered the Bill in English.
4. He spoke perfect English.
5. To make Malay the medium of instruction, he met teachers in all states via GPMS for support. His presentation (pembentagan) was at 10 am. He told them to send telegram at 11 am to support him, and won, even though UMNO had opposed 

Speech

1. He used phrases in his speech
2. He had good body language
3. Kalah Anwar Ibrahim

Parti Negara

1. Klang?
2. Aziz Ishak (Pak Aziz) was his good friend. He was jailed under ISA for 20 years, without trial.
3. Pak Rashid competed against Aziz as they didn't know?
4. Baja urea was $4 billion/year
5. MCA?
6. Aziz Ishak had blocked?
7. He wrote a book, Guest
8. He was unfairly charged; Tun Hussien Onn reinstated and paid him the losses & pay
9. His brother Yusof Ishak was Singapore's first President

From me:
Brothers Aziz Ishak and Yusof Ishak are from the Datuk Jenaton Minangkabau lineage, and are related to Nakhoda Nan Intan and Nakhoda Kecil.

Iron ore mining at Bukit Besi

From Farid, 24 Dec 2014:

1. The iron mining site at Bukit Besi is closed to the public
2. Nobody is allowed into the mining site
3. The government might re-open the tin mining site

Iron ore mining in Terengganu

1. He was at Kolej Pertanian
2. He lost the election and went to work at an iron mine in Terengganu which earned $300 million/year in 1950.
3. Bukit Besi closed in 1964
4. They may mine it again
5. Bukit Besi is isolated, 18 miles from Dungun
6. He ran his own farm by rearing chickens and cows but not fish
7. He was an Agricultural Officer, earning $2000/month (a lecturer's pay was $400/mo)
8. Bukit Besi already had a supermarket then
9. Iron was exported via Sura to Japan'
10. Bukit Besi iron was of low quality, used for plating, cannot be used for shipbuilding
11. The family lived in wealth

From Abidin Hussin in Facebook (1 February 2015):

He says he knows Pak Rashid, Hassan Rashid and Ali when they were at Bukit Besi before.

Gave up iron mining

1. One day while still working with the mine at Terengganu, Pak Rashid called everyone. He said he wanted to resign and return to Serdang. He was 43.
2. Pak Cik Hassan was in Form 3 at MCKK
3. The family will face difficulties

Return to Kolej Pertanian

1. Kolej Pertanian was 43 acres
2. Pak Rashid went for an interview. Instead of him being interviewed, he interviewed the Board and asked regarding its planning
3. He was at Kolej Pertanian 1947-1955. When he came back for the interview, there was still no development
4. That time Tun Abdul Razak was developing FELDA

Kolej Pertanian

1. It was isolated
2. Pak Rashid's friends came to borrow his car, by saying they were taking Pak Cik Hassan (then aged 3)
3. Pak Rashid returned to UPM with $800/mo pay
4. It was decided on the spot

Time for change

1. Malaysia needed more than 47 graduates!
2. Malaysia needed 400 diploma!
3. Only MU issued degrees
4. Pak Rashid had all the facts he needed
5. He held the record for reading 1 book a day and never missed reading a book
6. He got the job offer
7. He said: "The only person who could make this change is ME!"
8. He joined UPM
9. He was a simple man
10. The children suffered the difference
11. UPM had 3,000 acres of land
12. UPM intake was more than 1,000 students/year
13. Maintained intake for 95% Malaysian
14. Change of UPM name: from U Pertanian M to U Putra M (he would have screamed)
15. Students come to see him at home. He was garang tapi baik

UPM students

1. There were few UPM students
2. Pak Rashid made it a point to know the students' parents

Friends and students 

1. Tan Sri Rashdan Baba, Chairman Telekom
2. Tan Sri Basir Ismail, Johor SCDC, Petronas, Bank Bumi
3. Tan Sri Mohd Nor Ismail 
4. Tan Sri Arshad Ayob - built ITM
5. Tan Sri Ani Arope (Kedah) - deceased 2014
6. GM TNB (General Manager Tenaga Nasional Berhad)
7. DG RRI (Director-General Rubber Research Institute)
8. Chairman BSN (Bank Simpanan Nasional)
9. Chairman TNB - Malaysiawide blackout occurred when he was in London for 2 days. He was Abang Ibak bin ____________?
10. Wan Nik - Head of Proton - Chairman SCDC Terengganu, Yayasan _____?. He took up law.

Basir Ismail

1. He was among the best students, the most brilliant Malay (check Times or Newsweek)
2. He scored 92 on an exam; another Chinese scored 94. Pak Rashid lesing Basir!
3. He ran Petronas
4. Tun Abdul Razak asked him to run Bank Bumiputra after Jalil Ibrahim was murdered in Hong Kong
5. They bought over FIMA
6. His wife, Puan Sri Hamidah, goes to An-Nur (Harun Din's class) every week
7. Pak Cik Hassan had spend time in Taiping with a friend, son of Tan Sri Basir. He called out to his grandmother who recognised Pak Cik Hassan. She said: "Engkau kecil, Basir selalu bawa balik, nakal."
8. Pak Cik Hassan knows students by name, even in a class of 400 students

VC UPM

1. Basir Ismail had potential
2. Ani Arope  was Deputy DG Pertanian
3. Rashdan Baba was the first Malay with PhD (Agric.), aged 32
4. Pak Rashid asked if he could stand as 1st VC UPM
5. There were many Whites who could stand as the 1st VC UPM
6. Decide either VC UKM or VC UPM

UPM Budget

1. Nobody would dare touch UPM Budget, never even take or reduce it
2. Pak Rashid was in full control over UPM
3. Pak Rashid had direct communication line with Dato' Onn Jaafar
4. Pak Rashid was a very honest man. He never used $ for himself
5. Pak Rashid would fill his car boot with fruits and go to see Tun Abdul Razak whom he asked for $5 million to make the UPM mosque
6. When UPM budget was slashed by 30%, Rashdan Baba asked Pak Rashid for help. Pak Rashid fought for UPM and got back the 30% cut for Rashdan, for UPM

Petaling land

1. Petaling land had fallen to the Chinese
2. Pak Cik Hassan had informed about the lost land
3. A car stopped to ask for direction
4. Hussien Onn gave Pak Rashid the land

Cattle grazing land / Picnic land

1. It was cattle grazing land, 800 acres, no highway then, just rubber trees
2. This land was for picnic
3. Tun Abdul Razak had just died. Raha came. They enjoyed the picnic
4. The Govt had no $ to acquire the land. They asked Pak Rashid
5. Pak Rashid said: "Kalau engkau hormat aku, please give me this land."
6. Pak Rashid went to the Land Office to settle the land; UPM got the land

Rashid Foundation

1. He had built UPM from scratch
2. The entire generation served UPM
3. The Rashid Foundation was set up at UPM in his honour.

Marriage
From Pak Cik Hassan:

1. He escaped to Malaysia for 10 years until Pak Cik Hassan was born. Then he was reunited.
2. He had ran away because he could not marry his sweetheart. He married her later, after 40 years.
3. His first wife was Che Mah bt Mohd Amin (from Who's Who Malaysia & Guide to Singapore 1973, by J. V.Morais, page 228.)
4. His second wife was Rahmah (saudara anjing). Married at 60 years; she already had her own children.
5. Bapak and Pak Rashid were close

From Bapak:

1. Pak Rashid first married Bik Che Mah. From Pak Cik Hassan, she died in Mina (not Makkah).
2. Pak Rashid remarried.
3. Bapak liked both Pak Rashid and Bik Che Mah

Health 
From Pak Cik Hassan, 11 June 2007:

1. Pak Rashid suffered from lung cancer
2. He was referred to Wak Majid's son, Dr Jefri (Wak Majid is Tan Sri Dr Abdul Majid)
3. He had asked Pak Hassan to call Dr Jefri
4. Dr Jefri operated on him. The right lung was removed (60%)
5. He survived another 3 years
6. He was 73 when he died

Mohd Rashid @ Pak Rashid, Founder of UPM (1914-1986)

Pak Rashid the Chegu

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Pak Cik Hassan Rashid
& Mak Cik Jamilah Saleh
No. 3 Desa Al-Amin
Kg. Sungai Tangkas
43000 Kajang
Selangor D.A.
Pak Cik Hassan: hmr47@streamyx.com
Mak Cik Jamilah: 019-3508343

Me, Mak Cik Jamilah Muhamad Saleh, Pak Cik Hassan Mohd Rashid and Affandi Hussien.

Mak Cik Jamilah and Pak Cik Hassan are first cousins. Mak Cik Jamilah is anak Tok Alang Kg Baru. Tok Alang is Mohd Saleh bin Mohd Amin. Tok Alang is anak Mat Amin Pasar, abang Nenek Inche. Nenek Inche is Bapak's mother, my paternal grandmother. Pak Cik Hassan is anak Pak Rashid Serdang. Pak Rashid Serdang and Mohd Yusope bin Mohd Sharif (Walid) have worked together in the same department in KL, before WWII. Both were in agriculture; Walid was an entomologist (pengkaji serangga). Walid was my paternal grandfather whom I have never met (he died in January 1954; I was born in 1958).

Full Name: Hassan bin Mohd Rashid

Call name: Pak Cik Hassan

Father: Pak Rashid (Serdang)

Mother's full name: Che Mah bt Mohd Amin (Mat Amin Pasar)

Mother's call name: Bik Che Mah (Serdang; Bik Che Mah is adik Nenek Inchek)

Pak Cik Hassan's sibs are:

1. Siti Rafeah *
2. Siti Ayeshah *
3. Harun *
4. Abdul Rahman *
5. Abdul Rahim - (Pak Cik Rahim on TV - gardening program; wrote Seri Taman). Insun Sony Mustapha Hussain Fenner knew Abdul Rahim bin Mohd Rasid
6. Hassan (Pak Cik Hassan)
7. Ali - Abidin Hussin knew Ali bin Mohd Rasid while at Bukit Besi.
8. Siti Zubaidah
9. Zainal Abidin
10. Siti Khatijah
11. Siti Mariam
12. Siti Hajar - She came to visit me in Chico, California in 1980
13. Ahmad @ Mat Rashid (deceased 2019)

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Abdul Rahim bin Mohd Rashid (#5/13)

Pak Cik Abdul Rahim bin Mohd Rashid

Prof Dr Jariah Masud

From Nonie (anak Pak Din in FB, 12 Dec 2014) and from SMS (13 Dec 2014, 3:34pm): 

Pak Cik Abdul Rahim bin Mohd Rashid (anak Tok Rashid Serdang) is married to Dr Jariah Masood. Dr Jariah teaches Family Finance at UPM Serdang. Jariah Masood is kakak ipar Pak Cik Hassan. She is the wife of Pak Cik Hassan's brother, Abdul Rahim b Mohd Rashid.

Masood is also spelled as Masud in FB (Jariah Masud) and is pronounced as Mas'ud. 

Her FB says that she is from Rembau. 

Bapak had informed me about his relative, Jariah Mas'ud, and I went to search for her. Jariah had studied in Fresno, California when I was studying in California in 1976-1982. I had met her then and ate at her place, sometime between 1976 and 1980. 

I searched for Prof Jariah Masud for a long time and then found her info at UPM website. She is retired but still works at UPM in her post retirement years. She is a Fellow at a research centre on ageing.

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Siti Hajar bt Mohd Rashid (#12/13)

Siti Hajar, anak Tok Rashid Serdang

I was with Mak Cik Siti Hajar bt Mohd Rashid at my residence, 609 Rancheria Drive, Chico, California; May 1980.

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Mak Cik Jamilah's sibs are:

1. Zaiton
2. Jamilah (Mak Cik Milah)
3. Hasnah
4. Prof. Hamzah (Biochem, USA; married Norjanah)
5. Yusof * (deceased)
6. Latif * (deceased)
7. Zulkifli

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Prof Hamzah gave me a family photo of Tok Alang's family.

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Pak Cik Hassan & Mak Cik Jamilah's children:

1. Effendi bin Hassan - married Seri Idawaty Mat Zain (reception 12 Feb 2011)
2. Melati bt Hassan - nurse; worked in UAE; now owns 2-3 dialysis centres in Perak and Kelantan
3. Edila bt Hassan (UKM; Eddie in FB)
4. Fatimah bt Hassan (UNITEN)
5. Halimah bt Hassan (UIA) - visited Taman Makmur, Kg Chicha in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan on 31 January 2015.

Melati and her baby girl in 2010. She is now 5 years old in Dec 2014

I met Melati and her youngest daughter in Dec 2014 at Mak Cik Milah's besan's house, near where they had the wedding reception last time in 2010. The daughter is now 5 years old. She's very pretty. I also met Melati's husband, Wan - I don't know his full name. They have 2 sons studying in Egypt - I saw them in FB, ages 13 and 15. The 2 boys have returned to Malaysia in 2015.

Eddie, Fatimah and Halimah are on FB.

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Surau An-Nur - where Pak Cik Hassan prays

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Darul Syifa' - near Pak Cik Hassan's place

operated by Ustaz Haron Din

Perubatan Islam

Tuesday AM, first 200 patients

Other times, his assistants will be on duty

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Update on Pak Cik Hassan in early 2013:

Mak Bedah's friend in my Facebook informed that Pak Cik Hassan recently suffered from mild stroke and was hospitalised.

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CERAGEM

Update from Pak Cik Hassan himself when we met at his besan's house in KB in Dec 2014:

Pak Cik Hassan is fine now. He recovered from the stroke and is doing ok. He attended Ceragem sessions which helped him a lot and improved his overall health. I am really happy to hear from Pak Cik Hassan himself. Pak Cik Hassan told me to try Ceragem as it has really beneficial effects on health. I still haven't located a place in KB to have a look at the Ceragem set up.

Update from Hasnah Hashim (my former classmate at MGHS, Malacca) in Melbourne in Dec 2014:

She bought a Ceragem bed for RM8K a long time ago. She has tried it before, and she says it is good for her muscle aches. She brought her Ceragem bed to Melbourne. I must try the Ceragem bed and get the bed for myself. It seems like a good thing to have in the house.

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Update from Pak Cik Hassan and Mak Cik Milah on 31 January 2015:

Pak Cik Hassan, Mak Cik Milah and Halimah visited us at home in Taman Makmur, Kg Chicha. Pak Cik Hassan and Mak Cik Milah went for Umrah in Dec 2014 with Al-Quds. They have just returned. Pak Cik Hassan and Halimah drove from KL, overnight at Kuala Krai and then came to KB.

Pak Cik Hassan informed that Tok Rashid's Serdang younger brother Yusof bin Ahmad married to Dr Hamzah's daughter, Arfah. Their son is Prof Nordin.

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From my book, Biography of the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957:

Dr Hamzah bin Mohd Taib (1900-1955) was an early Malay doctor from Johor (pages 448-463). He had 10 children from his first wife, Hajah Safiah bt Dato' Haji Abdullah: Anisah, Rokiah, Arfah, a daughter (deceased at childhood), Jamaliah, Mustafa, Md Yusof, Khadijah, Yunus, and Ishak (pages 458-459).

I had mentioned about Hajah Arfah and her husband Haji Yusoff Ahmad on page 459. Haji Yusoff Ahmad was Senior Manager of Ford Motors in Singapore. They have five children-Aziz, Ismail, Rosli, Professor Dr Nordin, and Latifah.

I don't know Prof Nordin bin Haji Yusoff bin Ahmad, his siblings and parents. I have not met Prof Nordin Haji Yusoff.

External links:

http://www.upm.edu.my/berita/pusat_alumni_upm_anjur_siri_syarahan_pak_rashid_the_chegu-25342